Phaedra Budy, PhD
Unit Leader - Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Research Interests
Dr Budy's current research interests include aquatic ecology, fisheries, food web interactions, and anthropogenic impacts. Budy has been extensively involved with native and non-native fishes in the West.
Teaching Interests
Dr. Budy teaches graduate level classes in Fish Ecology, Population Ecology, and Population Assessment. She also teaches Fish Diversity & Conservation, Large River Management, and Principles of Stream Restoration.
Professional Experience
Unit Leader, Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2012-
Assistant Unit Leader, Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2000-2012
Education and Certifications
Ph D Utah State University 1996
BS University of California, Davis 1991
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 38
At the forefront: evidence of the applicability of using environmental DNA to quantify the abundance of fish populations in natural lentic waters with additional sampling considerations
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has proven to be a valuable tool for detecting species in aquatic ecosystems. Within this rapidly evolving field, a promising application is the ability to obtain quantitative estimates of relative species abundance based on eDNA concentration rather than traditionally labor-intensive methods. We investigated the relationship between eDNA concentration and Arctic
Authors
Stephen L. Klobucar, Torrey W. Rodgers, Phaedra Budy
Matching watershed and otolith chemistry to establish natal origin of an endangered desert lake sucker
Stream habitat restoration and supplemental stocking of hatchery-reared fish have increasingly become key components of recovery plans for imperiled freshwater fish; however, determining when to discontinue stocking efforts, prioritizing restoration areas, and evaluating restoration success present a conservation challenge. In this study, we demonstrate that otolith microchemistry is an effective
Authors
Deanna D. Strohm, Phaedra Budy, Todd A. Crowl
Earning their stripes: The potential of tiger trout and other salmonids as biological controls of forage fishes in a western reservoir
Maintaining a balance between predator and prey populations can be an ongoing challenge for fisheries managers, especially in managing artificial ecosystems such as reservoirs. In a high-elevation Utah reservoir, the unintentional introduction of the Utah Chub Gila atraria and its subsequent population expansion prompted managers to experimentally shift from exclusively stocking Rainbow Trout Onco
Authors
Lisa K. Winters, Phaedra Budy, Gary P. Thiede
Assessing conditions influencing the longitudinal distribution of exotic brown trout (Salmo trutta) in a mountain stream: a spatially-explicit modeling approach
Trout species often segregate along elevational gradients, yet the mechanisms driving this pattern are not fully understood. On the Logan River, Utah, USA, exotic brown trout (Salmo trutta) dominate at low elevations but are near-absent from high elevations with native Bonneville cutthroat trout (Onchorhynchus clarkii utah). We used a spatially-explicit Bayesian modeling approach to evaluate how a
Authors
Christy S. Meredith, Phaedra Budy, Mevin Hooten, Marcos Oliveira Prates
A Lota lota consumption: Trophic dynamics of nonnative Burbot in a valuable sport fishery
Unintentional and illegal introductions of species disrupt food webs and threaten the success of managed sport fisheries. Although many populations of Burbot Lota lota are declining in the species’ native range, a nonnative population recently expanded into Flaming Gorge Reservoir (FGR), Wyoming–Utah, and threatens to disrupt predator–prey interactions within this popular sport fishery. To determi
Authors
Stephen L. Klobucar, W. Carl Saunders, Phaedra Budy
Consequences of seasonal variation in reservoir water level for predatory fishes: linking visual foraging and prey densities
In reservoirs, seasonal drawdown can alter the physical environment and may influence predatory fish performance. We investigated the performance of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in a western reservoir by coupling field measurements with visual foraging and bioenergetic models at four distinct states (early summer, mid-summer, late summer, and fall). The models suggested that lake trout prey,
Authors
Stephen L. Klobucar, Phaedra Budy
Application of science-based restoration planning to a desert river system
Persistence of many desert river species is threatened by a suite of impacts linked to water infrastructure projects that provide human water security where water is scarce. Many desert rivers have undergone regime shifts from spatially and temporally dynamic ecosystems to more stable systems dominated by homogenous physical habitat. Restoration of desert river systems could aid in biodiversity co
Authors
Brian G. Laub, Justin Jimenez, Phaedra Budy
Agonistic behavior among three stocked trout species in a novel reservoir fish community
The popularity of reservoirs to support sport fisheries has led to the stocking of species that did not co-evolve, creating novel reservoir fish communities. In Utah, the Bear Lake strain of Bonneville Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii utah and tiger trout (female Brown Trout Salmo trutta × male Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis) are being more frequently added to a traditional stocking regimen
Authors
Phaedra Budy, Konrad Hafen
Assessing the likely effectiveness of multispecies management for imperiled desert fishes with niche overlap analysis
A critical decision in species conservation is whether to target individual species or a complex of ecologically similar species. Management of multispecies complexes is likely to be most effective when species share similar distributions, threats, and response to threats. We used niche overlap analysis to assess ecological similarity of 3 sensitive desert fish species currently managed as an eco
Authors
P Laub, Phaedra Budy
Predation on native sculpin by exotic brown trout exceeds that by native cutthroat trout within a mountain watershed (Logan, UT, USA)
We explored potential negative effects of exotic brown trout (Salmo trutta) on native sculpin (Cottus sp.) on the Logan River, Utah, USA by (i) examining factors most strongly correlated with sculpin abundance (e.g., abiotic conditions or piscivory?), (ii) contrasting the extent of brown trout predation on sculpin with that by native cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah) and (iii) estimating
Authors
Christy S. Meredith, Phaedra Budy, Gary P. Thiede
Exploring crowded trophic niche space in a novel reservoir fish assemblage: how many predators is too many?
In highly managed reservoir systems, species interactions within novel fish assemblages can be difficult to predict. In high-elevation Scofield Reservoir in Utah the unintentional introduction of Utah Chub Gila atraria and subsequent population expansion prompted a shift from stocking exclusively Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss to include tiger trout (female Brown Trout Salmo trutta × male Brook
Authors
Lisa K. Winters, Phaedra Budy
Understanding how lake populations of arctic char are structured and function with special consideration of the potential effects of climate change: A multi-faceted approach.
Size dimorphism in fish populations, both its causes and consequences, has been an area of considerable focus; however, uncertainty remains whether size dimorphism is dynamic or stabilizing and about the role of exogenous factors. Here, we explored patterns among empirical vital rates, population structure, abundance and trend, and predicted the effects of climate change on populations of arctic c
Authors
Phaedra Budy, Chris Luecke
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 38
At the forefront: evidence of the applicability of using environmental DNA to quantify the abundance of fish populations in natural lentic waters with additional sampling considerations
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has proven to be a valuable tool for detecting species in aquatic ecosystems. Within this rapidly evolving field, a promising application is the ability to obtain quantitative estimates of relative species abundance based on eDNA concentration rather than traditionally labor-intensive methods. We investigated the relationship between eDNA concentration and Arctic
Authors
Stephen L. Klobucar, Torrey W. Rodgers, Phaedra Budy
Matching watershed and otolith chemistry to establish natal origin of an endangered desert lake sucker
Stream habitat restoration and supplemental stocking of hatchery-reared fish have increasingly become key components of recovery plans for imperiled freshwater fish; however, determining when to discontinue stocking efforts, prioritizing restoration areas, and evaluating restoration success present a conservation challenge. In this study, we demonstrate that otolith microchemistry is an effective
Authors
Deanna D. Strohm, Phaedra Budy, Todd A. Crowl
Earning their stripes: The potential of tiger trout and other salmonids as biological controls of forage fishes in a western reservoir
Maintaining a balance between predator and prey populations can be an ongoing challenge for fisheries managers, especially in managing artificial ecosystems such as reservoirs. In a high-elevation Utah reservoir, the unintentional introduction of the Utah Chub Gila atraria and its subsequent population expansion prompted managers to experimentally shift from exclusively stocking Rainbow Trout Onco
Authors
Lisa K. Winters, Phaedra Budy, Gary P. Thiede
Assessing conditions influencing the longitudinal distribution of exotic brown trout (Salmo trutta) in a mountain stream: a spatially-explicit modeling approach
Trout species often segregate along elevational gradients, yet the mechanisms driving this pattern are not fully understood. On the Logan River, Utah, USA, exotic brown trout (Salmo trutta) dominate at low elevations but are near-absent from high elevations with native Bonneville cutthroat trout (Onchorhynchus clarkii utah). We used a spatially-explicit Bayesian modeling approach to evaluate how a
Authors
Christy S. Meredith, Phaedra Budy, Mevin Hooten, Marcos Oliveira Prates
A Lota lota consumption: Trophic dynamics of nonnative Burbot in a valuable sport fishery
Unintentional and illegal introductions of species disrupt food webs and threaten the success of managed sport fisheries. Although many populations of Burbot Lota lota are declining in the species’ native range, a nonnative population recently expanded into Flaming Gorge Reservoir (FGR), Wyoming–Utah, and threatens to disrupt predator–prey interactions within this popular sport fishery. To determi
Authors
Stephen L. Klobucar, W. Carl Saunders, Phaedra Budy
Consequences of seasonal variation in reservoir water level for predatory fishes: linking visual foraging and prey densities
In reservoirs, seasonal drawdown can alter the physical environment and may influence predatory fish performance. We investigated the performance of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in a western reservoir by coupling field measurements with visual foraging and bioenergetic models at four distinct states (early summer, mid-summer, late summer, and fall). The models suggested that lake trout prey,
Authors
Stephen L. Klobucar, Phaedra Budy
Application of science-based restoration planning to a desert river system
Persistence of many desert river species is threatened by a suite of impacts linked to water infrastructure projects that provide human water security where water is scarce. Many desert rivers have undergone regime shifts from spatially and temporally dynamic ecosystems to more stable systems dominated by homogenous physical habitat. Restoration of desert river systems could aid in biodiversity co
Authors
Brian G. Laub, Justin Jimenez, Phaedra Budy
Agonistic behavior among three stocked trout species in a novel reservoir fish community
The popularity of reservoirs to support sport fisheries has led to the stocking of species that did not co-evolve, creating novel reservoir fish communities. In Utah, the Bear Lake strain of Bonneville Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii utah and tiger trout (female Brown Trout Salmo trutta × male Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis) are being more frequently added to a traditional stocking regimen
Authors
Phaedra Budy, Konrad Hafen
Assessing the likely effectiveness of multispecies management for imperiled desert fishes with niche overlap analysis
A critical decision in species conservation is whether to target individual species or a complex of ecologically similar species. Management of multispecies complexes is likely to be most effective when species share similar distributions, threats, and response to threats. We used niche overlap analysis to assess ecological similarity of 3 sensitive desert fish species currently managed as an eco
Authors
P Laub, Phaedra Budy
Predation on native sculpin by exotic brown trout exceeds that by native cutthroat trout within a mountain watershed (Logan, UT, USA)
We explored potential negative effects of exotic brown trout (Salmo trutta) on native sculpin (Cottus sp.) on the Logan River, Utah, USA by (i) examining factors most strongly correlated with sculpin abundance (e.g., abiotic conditions or piscivory?), (ii) contrasting the extent of brown trout predation on sculpin with that by native cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah) and (iii) estimating
Authors
Christy S. Meredith, Phaedra Budy, Gary P. Thiede
Exploring crowded trophic niche space in a novel reservoir fish assemblage: how many predators is too many?
In highly managed reservoir systems, species interactions within novel fish assemblages can be difficult to predict. In high-elevation Scofield Reservoir in Utah the unintentional introduction of Utah Chub Gila atraria and subsequent population expansion prompted a shift from stocking exclusively Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss to include tiger trout (female Brown Trout Salmo trutta × male Brook
Authors
Lisa K. Winters, Phaedra Budy
Understanding how lake populations of arctic char are structured and function with special consideration of the potential effects of climate change: A multi-faceted approach.
Size dimorphism in fish populations, both its causes and consequences, has been an area of considerable focus; however, uncertainty remains whether size dimorphism is dynamic or stabilizing and about the role of exogenous factors. Here, we explored patterns among empirical vital rates, population structure, abundance and trend, and predicted the effects of climate change on populations of arctic c
Authors
Phaedra Budy, Chris Luecke